The UAE investment entity Aqua1 Foundation purchased $100 million worth of WLFI tokens issued by World Liberty Financial in June 2025, becoming the largest disclosed single buyer; this transaction exceeds Sun Yuchen's total public investment of about $75 million.

The New York Times identified Guren "Bobby" Zhou as the person behind Aqua1. He briefly referred to himself as "Bobby of Aqua1" in a public audio event, claiming that the organization is a significant participant in the Trump family's crypto project, but Aqua1 has not publicly disclosed its full ownership, investment committee, or the source of the $100 million funds.

According to World Liberty Financial's revenue distribution arrangement at the time, up to about $75 million from Aqua1's transaction would flow to entities controlled by Trump and his three sons, while the remainder would go to affiliates of project co-founder Zach Witkoff and other project entities; the specific final payment structure depends on the terms of the agreement and transaction settlement and cannot simply be viewed as cash directly obtained by Trump personally.

Guren Zhou was arrested in the UK in 2021 on suspicion of money laundering, and UK law enforcement confirmed that the related investigation remains ongoing as of July 2026; he has not been formally charged. Two employees who have worked closely with him were charged in September 2025 in the related case, one of whom has pleaded guilty, while the trials of other defendants are expected to take place in 2028.

Public reports also indicate that a civil judgment against Guren Zhou by a Chinese court involves approximately 19.4 million yuan in unpaid loans; being labeled a "dishonest executor" is a status within China's civil enforcement system that involves restrictions and credit penalties, and does not equate to a criminal conviction. Current English public reports are insufficient to independently verify details regarding his associated Shanghai timber enterprise's involvement in smuggling, and thus no factual confirmation can be made based on this.

Currently, there is no public evidence indicating that the specific $100 million funds used by Aqua1 to purchase WLFI are directly related to the money laundering activities involved in the UK investigation; the source of the funds has not been publicly explained, and the conclusion that "the funds have been confirmed as illegal" is different from the current status. Guren Zhou has not been charged, and relevant facts should still be based on investigation results, court rulings, or regulatory disclosures.

In market mechanisms, WLFI transactions convert the demand for token purchases from high-net-worth or opaque capital into immediate funding income for the project party; token buyers receive governance tokens or potential ecological rights, while project affiliates gain cash flow and market endorsement. The beneficiaries are project parties that can accept large private placements and directly monetize token sale revenues; the pressured parties are counterparties, platforms, and service providers facing funding source scrutiny, political conflicts of interest, and anti-money laundering risks.

Source: Public Information